In what could only be explained as a hard day at the office for all concerned, the Zebras came away with an important win after toiling hard against a very difficult breeze and dogged opposition that would simply not go away. Even when we thought we had the game safely tucked away the Dolphins leaped late in the final quarter to reduce the margin to 5 points. Fortunately for us we were able to steady with a very strong mark and long goal from Justin Koschitzke who had made a strong contribution on the ball. McQualter ‘s goal ended the festivities and ensured the victory over a tenacious Frankston.

The Zebras kicked into a strong wind in the opening quarter and did not adjust to the conditions as quickly as we all would have liked. A number of fumbles and missed targets allowed Frankston opportunities to kick 4 goals, however we rallied to put enough scoreboard pressure to be right in the game at the first break with 3 goals.

James Magner was prominent around the middle of the ground with McQualter and Eddy having plenty of it. The defence was kept busy as Blake, Simpkin and Lynch were under constant pressure as the ball rebounded back into our defence far too quickly.

Will Johnson was creating opportunities up forward and finished the day with 4 in another good display.

The message from Brett Lovett at the quarter time huddle was to increase the intensity around the stoppages and greater concentration on ball use.

Kicking with the wind in the 2nd term one would have expected us to break away however we simply wasted too many opportunities as our ball use continued to be sluggish and only posted one goal for the term. The game was certainly a battle of defences. We clearly needed to lift our efficiency with the ball.

The half time break gave us time to regroup as third term started well. Finally we began to link up and find ourselves with some time and space. Ferguson in his senior first game for the club broke the lines and put the ball forward for Johnson, Lowrey and Koschitzke to take advantage of the better delivery from the midfield. Madison Andrews and Brett Dore also added plenty of energy around the packs.

We added 4 goals into the strengthening wind. First gamer Rodney Jetta also gave the Zebras plenty to smile about as his efforts in this quarter showed plenty of skill with him kicking an important goal.

Michael Lowrey’s desperate tackle resulted in a great team goal set the example for the forwards as Johnson, Heyne, and Koschitzke made it very hard for the Dolphin defenders to exit our forward line.

We missed so many chances as the wind continued to make things difficult. McQualter and Eddy’s experience were prominent in setting up the lead. We had restricted the opposition to just one goal and had now set up a 20-point lead.

The final quarter did not go as planned game after such a strong display 30 mins earlier. Halfway through this term the dolphins run the ball forward far too easily and reduced the margin to 5 points with 2 quick goals.

Perhaps thoughts of last week win over Coburg resonated in the players minds. The midfield concentrated its forces and won important clearances. The Zebras would not let this game slip out of its control.

Kosi plucked a hanger and goaled from outside 50, McQualter’s final goal put out the spot fire, to the relief of all.

RESERVES MATCH REPORT - By Mick Ablett

After another sluggish start which resulted in a blast at quarter time the boys really responded well and found their rhythm. Week in week out we continue to display a fantastic understanding of the game plan and the brand of football we train for. Playing Frankston at Frankston for the second time in 3 weeks proved to once again be more of a mental challenge for this young group. It was very pleasing to see the boys bounce back from the disappointment of last week and get our season rolling with a big 96 point win.

Some of the better individual efforts were Matt Boland up forward booting 8 majors for the day, young gun Tommy Curren with 28 disposals and 3 goals was simply outstanding in the midfield and across Half Forward, Andrew Fleming (captain for the day) again displayed great leadership with his workrate and attack on the ball finding the footy 25 times for the day, whilst Keifer Smith-Cameron (26 touches), Chris Waller (26 touches) and Warwick Andreoli (24 touches) also gave us plenty of drive through the Half Back/Midfield part of the ground. Sam Crocker showed us why he is so highly rated amongst the St Kilda coaching staff turning in a 28 possession game that included a monster 70 metre goal out of the centre in the last quarter. His delivery into the forward line went a long way to giving our forwards the opportunities they needed to put a winning score on the board.

All in all it was very pleasing to see the boys play an exciting brand of football and take another step forward in their development. This week comes as a massive test against the flag favourites Port Melbourne, and it couldn’t come at a better time. With the week off the following week we can expect the boys to leave nothing in the tank in their quest to keep the season moving in a positive direction. The simple fact is with a better start and our continued emphasis on pressure there is no reason we can’t be right in the mix.

Last Modified on 11/04/2011 10:44

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